Ron Cephas Jones Isn't Ready to Say Goodbye to William

Ron Cephas Jones is "going through a difficult time at the moment." He misses theThis Is Us cast "so much" and is coming to the realization that William may never come back in a big way again.

This is a character Ron says he "already knew" when he first laid eyes on the script back in season 1. He knew men who had as many layers to them and as much compassion as William did. He also knew men who had "made some wrong decisions" but were not bad people underneath it all. Because, as the 62-year-old actor explains, "when you get to my age, preparation is a lot about what you already have inside you."

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And so, right away, this character meant a lot to him. Apart from that, working with his co-stars Sterling K. Brown and Susan Kelechi Watsonalso made playing William that much more of a rewarding experience. They're all New York theater actors, and Ron was familiar with their work when he first signed on. Particularly, when it came to Sterling, Ron says the two had a "mutual fanship of each other's work."

"There was a familiarity we already had, even though we hadn’t worked together, but I knew how he worked, and he knew how I worked, and so the bar immediately got raised," Ron explains. "We were able not to act, which is a big thing with me."

Besides his scenes with Sterling, Ron has fond memories of creator Dan Fogelman's "open-door policy," where he felt like he could really talk with the writers and collaborate in a "family atmosphere." He also loved sharing a cup of coffee with key hairstylist Katherine Rees, as well as chatting with head makeup artist Zoe Hay about her kids.

Alas, he knows that it makes sense for viewers to see less and less of William after his death, and he's trying to stay "positive and be graceful" about the opportunity. But it's not easy.

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"Like anything that you love, if you let it go it’ll come back to you, if it’s supposed to and if it doesn’t, it wasn’t supposed to," Ron reasons. "It's just one of those roles that's so perfectly beautiful."

Recognizing how special William is explains why Ron doesn't want to bid farewell to him so soon. In fact, Ron has all sorts of story ideas for how he could be organically worked back into the show via flashback scenes. For instance, Ron sees there being a great opportunity to delve deeper into William's relationship with Beth in season 4, since fans have previously gotten some important glimpses into their friendship.

"You can see how William was so connected to Beth. She had that no-nonsense kind of thing with him, helping him with his medication. She gave a lot of her life to William and opened up her home to him and the children. I would love to explore something like that," Ron announces.

He also thinks that there should be some sort of connection between William and Tess. After all, it was Tess who reveals the truth to her parents about William's bisexuality. She also had an important coming-out scene in season 3 herself.

"When I saw that I was like, I don’t know how they would connect that, but it seemed so obvious," Ron says. "That’s the kind of stuff I’m talking about. There’s room for so many things and you just hope for the best. He could be brought back at any time."

In the meantime, Ron will be right alongside viewers each Tuesday night, watching and dissecting every single moment of every episode. He has the same concerns you do — he wants to know if Kevin is going to be all right. He is worried about "her" in the future. He is terrified that Beth and Randall are going to break up. But knowing how Dan works, he trusts that it'll all come together in a way that makes sense in the end.

"I watch every week in anticipation of what’s going to happen," he says. "I’m just very grateful to have been part of this particular production."

Kayla KeeganNews EditorKayla Keegan is the news editor at GoodHousekeeping.com who covers all things in the entertainment, pop culture, and celebrity space.

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